those who fall from grace
by AlexisKeller
Summary: She's got a hell of a lot of mistakes to start making up for and she's going to start by saving their lives. The lives she helped endanger in the first place, of course.


_those who fall from grace_

AlexisKeller

* * *

She's been selfish. Oh, she's been so selfish.

She remembers the disbelief she saw in them when she joined the bad guys. She remembers the utter betrayal on their faces when she switched sides. She remembers the pain in their eyes when she practically handed them over to Valtor.

Bloom remembers it all, and it hurts so bad, she can't breathe.

Nobody thought she'd even consider Valtor when he offered her a place by his side—hell, everyone had _laughed_ at him. They were all sure, so sure that it wasn't even a possibility. They had defeated Valtor once, surely they'd find a way to do it again, and _switching sides_ was too incredulous of a thought—even if everything for them was looking pretty fucking bleak at the moment.

No, that wasn't right.

Things weren't just looking bleak for them—it was bad, really bad. Bad enough to have her running for the hills. If it wasn't enough that he'd taken Alfea by its reins and slain it to ashes, he had almost the entire Magix dimension at his feet. The remaining fairies and the Winx Club were taking refuge at Cloud Tower, soon to be joined by Saladin and all the Red Fountain specialists— _it was that terrible_. Even Faragonda was hurt—Valtor had really pulled out all the big guns. Whatever he was doing, he was succeeding.

It all made for a very scary future, if there even was one.

If anyone had ever asked her before the world came crumbling down whether she'd ever consider joining the dark side with the bad guys and going against everything that she stood for, she'd have said no—vehemently, too.

But they were right when they said you never really know what you want till it's right there in front of you.

And she didn't want to die.

So she agrees.

* * *

When the initial shock wears off, they have quite the few reactions.

As she walks away from all the fairies across the field towards the other side to where Valtor stands, she hears it. It's soft crying, really, nothing noisy. She recognizes it's Flora, and that just tears at her heart. She falters. It's honestly almost enough to stop her.

But she doesn't want to die.

So she walks on.

She doesn't want to look at Valtor's oh-so-smug face either, so she turns and faces the rest of the Winx Club, something she was a part of until just ten minutes ago when she chose to walk away.

She wishes she had settled for glaring at Valtor instead.

Tecna stands disbelieving; she looks conflicted, perplexed—which was a first for her no-nonsense friend—as if this was all a joke Bloom'd orchestrated. But it's not a joke.

Bloom just really, really doesn't want to die.

Then she sees anger, and oh Lord, Stella and Musa are angry—no, _furious_. She sees it clearly, and she's not surprised. But why shouldn't they be? It hurts, really, but she can bear it. She can bear the anger _if Flora would just stop crying_.

What surprises her is Aisha's stony expression. No emotion for Bloom to decipher, none at all. Just that mask of indifference and detachment, and those blank eyes.

She hates to think what Sky will think of her when he gets here with the guys.

So she doesn't.

She doesn't know what she's doing. She's never, ever— _okay, not consciously_ —ever decided to join the bad guys. She has no hell of an idea what to do, and the panic starts rising.

 _I don't want to die_ , she tells herself for the millionth time. _I need to live_.

And with that, she follows Valtor as he opens a portal to God knows whichever cryptic, creepy villain residence he's acquired now and she doesn't look back.

* * *

There's so much she wants to know, so many questions she wants to ask. But she doesn't.

Valtor strides away as soon as he transports them to a decrepit, rundown old building—you'd think he'd stick around to make sure she didn't run away or something but then again, she's the one who agreed to join him—and she doesn't say a word.

Yet, she wants to know so much. How did he manage to come back? That too, stronger than ever? What deal with the devil had he made to be stronger than their Bloomix? What had she signed herself up for by agreeing to join Bad Guy Extraordinaire? She doesn't want to harm her friends (or anyone to harm her friends), or anyone else for that matter. Will he take that into consideration?

Oh, Dragon. What has she done?

* * *

She cries when she hears that Faragonda's been killed. Nothing too dramatic; just a few tears roll down her face without her knowing it—it just happens, she's not thinking about it when Valtor casually announces it as he crosses the ragged hall to head to the kitchen for a soda.

She's thinking about them, her sisters in all but blood, the ones she pretty much gave away to the devil himself.

She wonders if watching everything and everyone she loves and cares for die is worth surviving this.

She wonders if she'll ever forgive herself, let alone earn their forgiveness.

* * *

It's a day later when he announces he's finishing The Winx for good.

"What?" Bloom's shocked.

Valtor just looks amused. "Well, we can't let them rise up with something and save the day at the last moment, can we? I'm not letting that little resistance of theirs last any longer than it should."

She swallows. "I-I… I didn't—"

Valtor narrows his eyes. "Let me remind you: you signed up for this, _fairy_. You didn't think we'd let them live, did you? I hope you didn't forget, they're the wretched Winx Club. They'll surely find some way to effectively ruin my plans to rule this world or any other with or without you, Bloom. I thought you were smarter than that." He scoffs and leaves, but all she can think about is: _I did not sign up for this_.

Sure, she said yes to becoming his little sidekick and had first seat tickets to watching the world burn, but killing her best friends, Sky, her teachers? No, _her family?_

The thought made her sicker than she ever felt over the last week with Valtor and that was really saying something.

She wanted to live, yes, but not at their expense.

 _But isn't that what you did when you sold them out?_ The nagging little voice at the back of her mind sneers. _You sold them out, you bitch. This is what you get._

She did. She did sell them out. She did that by walking away from them to freaking _Valtor_.

But damn her if she let them die.

That was not going to happen and she'd make sure of it.

But first, she needed to figure out how to make her move without Valtor realizing it.

Oh man.

* * *

 **note1:** i don't love Bloom.

 **note2:** i don't hate Bloom.

 **note3:** don't know where this goes, but do know each of the Winx will get their own chapter.

 **note4:** it's been a long while since i watched, but i'll get the hang of it. do review and let me know what you think.

-Lexy


End file.
